The 'Wayne's World' star discusses coping with grief as he's back to work following a break after his son Dex passed away from an accidental drug overdose.
- Jan 18, 2024
AceShowbiz - Dana Carvey says he is "on the pain train" as he returned to work for the first time following his son Dex's death aged 32 last year. The "Wayne's World" star recorded the first episode of his and David Spade's podcast "Fly on the Wall" since Dex's passing from an accidental overdose in November, and the actor admitted "riffing" with David and doing the podcast is "healthy" while he grieves.
"If you're listening to our podcast, you probably know about my family's loss. I just wanted to say that the amount of outpouring online and emailing and people I still haven't been able to call back is incredible," he said on the pod.
"I thought about this over the holidays and decided to come back to the podcast because I think, you know, it's a long day when you're not working and you get in your head. And I think it's going to be a great break, and I think it's really cool to laugh."
"I'm kind of on the pain train. You don't know how long you're going to be on it or when it will stop or when it will get better. In the meantime, all this kind of stuff is very healthy."
Dana also admitted he and his wife, Paula Zwagerman - who also have 30-year-old son Thomas - have been hiking and doing "a lot of fun things" to keep their spirits up while they grieve for their late son. He added, "It's me and my wife and our son's private journey. We're all together. We do a lot of fun things. We hike, go to church, you just want to be sure that you keep moving."
Just days after Dex's death, Dana revealed he was "taking a break" from work. He shared a message on his X and Instagram accounts which read, "This is just to say thank you. My wife and I have been overwhelmed by your love, your personal stories, your compassion."
"We received so many beautiful messages from people who knew Dex. These touched us more than we could ever express in words. I will be taking a break from work and social media - trying to figure out what life looks like now that we are a family of 3. We will heal the best we can and carry on. Our darling Dex would have wanted it that way. Much Love, Dana."
The 68-year-old actor and his wife had announced Dex's death on their social media accounts in a touching tribute to their son. They wrote, "Last night we suffered a terrible tragedy. Our beloved son, Dex, died of an accidental drug overdose. He was 32 years old."
"Dex packed a lot into those 32 years. He was extremely talented at so many things - music, art, film making, comedy - and pursued all of them passionately. It's not an exaggeration to say that Dex loved life. And when you were with him, you loved life too."
"He made everything fun. But most of all, he loved his family; his friends and his girlfriend, Kaylee. Dex was a beautiful person. His handmade birthday cards are a treasure. We will miss him forever."
